I have always wanted to see the changing of guards ceremony, as it seems like the 'must-see' if you come to London. Apparently, there are a few venues where you can catch it and one of them is Buckingham Palace. I did some research and found that the ceremony takes place everyday during summer at 11am (note: it also depends on the weather).
My hub wasnt very keen in going initially but i dragged him there in the afternoon (though the ceremony was over).
Okie, this is Buckingham Palace - old colonial building with 'golden' gates!
There were plenty of tourists snapping pictures and trying to peer through the gates to get a 'closer' view of the palace. I got my hub to pose ouside the gates - as if he has been locked up. The irony is, the real people being 'locked' up are the royal family. It can be quite sad - i can't imagine spending my whole life in a locked building. Though you live in a big & grand palace, there is no freedom to do or go anywhere you wish.
This is one of the best pix we took so far after we relocate to London - one that has both of us with a nice backgroud in a great weather!
Fountain outside Buckingham Palace.
Found a good angle for photos!
There are 2 beautiful royal parks directly opp the Palace - Green Park & St James's Park.
Look at how well-aligned the trees are in the park!
The closest station to Buckingham Palace should be Green Park station but you can also walk from Victoria station.
Look at how well-aligned the trees are in the park!
The closest station to Buckingham Palace should be Green Park station but you can also walk from Victoria station.
We took the chance to explore the Victoria area while we were there and found this modern building - Victoria Carndinal. The building serves a number of purpose - residential, retail & office.
What caught our attention was the automated toilet - u put in money, the door opens, you go in, do your business and when you leave, the toilet, powered by technology, will be washed & cleaned thoroughly!
2) Shakespeare's Globe - 29 July
Here's the wooden replica of how the 'Globe' or theatre:
When we got there, we were slightly disappointed to be told that there was a play going on and we would be only allowed to go on the Rose Theatre (instead of the 'Globe') tour. After learning more about the Rose Theatre, we thought it might be a blessing in disguise as we would be visiting the space for which Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson wrote their greatest plays and in which Shakespeare learned his trade. If we wanted to view the Globe, we can easily get a pair of tickets to the plays (which we will prob do so next summer!).
We were first treated to a free & easy tour of the exhibition. Sad to say, this is the first disappointing attraction i have been in London. The set up was pretty artificial with a huge fake tree right in the middle of the exhibition ground and all the fake displays - very much like those attractions you find in Spore.
What caught our attention was the automated toilet - u put in money, the door opens, you go in, do your business and when you leave, the toilet, powered by technology, will be washed & cleaned thoroughly!
2) Shakespeare's Globe - 29 July
The hotel we stayed when we initially arrived, gave us an invitation form to visit the Shakespeare's Globe F.O.C.
Located along the Thame's River, Shakespeare's Globe is a unique international resource dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare's work.
Here's the wooden replica of how the 'Globe' or theatre:
When we got there, we were slightly disappointed to be told that there was a play going on and we would be only allowed to go on the Rose Theatre (instead of the 'Globe') tour. After learning more about the Rose Theatre, we thought it might be a blessing in disguise as we would be visiting the space for which Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson wrote their greatest plays and in which Shakespeare learned his trade. If we wanted to view the Globe, we can easily get a pair of tickets to the plays (which we will prob do so next summer!).
We were first treated to a free & easy tour of the exhibition. Sad to say, this is the first disappointing attraction i have been in London. The set up was pretty artificial with a huge fake tree right in the middle of the exhibition ground and all the fake displays - very much like those attractions you find in Spore.
There was a free talk about plays gg on and people started to crowd around the centre stage.
A peek at one of the displays.
The good thing about having a guide is that you learn more about the place and its history. The guide also showed us the area/ring where 'bear-fighting' similar to bull-fighting took place many years ago. In fact, the south side of London was not even part of the city back then. They used to do a lot of trading along the river Thames and my hub is sitting on one of the preserved Ferryman's seat built against the wall - now you know how small their bums used to be, to be able to fit into such a small space!
We ended the weekend with a bus ride down from town to Hammersmith. We took a short stroll around the area and went back shortly.
Weekend comes and goes so quickly here! Sometimes, I reallie wish time can slow down - i dont want to age so fast + i have got so many places yet to visit + so many things yet to achieve/do!
A peek at one of the displays.
After about 15mins, we met our guide and she took us out to visit the Rose Theatre - the site where the 'real' playhouse (not the white re-built one along the river) was back then.
It might sound complicated but this was the earlier site of the Shakespeare's Globe before they move to the bankside.
The good thing about having a guide is that you learn more about the place and its history. The guide also showed us the area/ring where 'bear-fighting' similar to bull-fighting took place many years ago. In fact, the south side of London was not even part of the city back then. They used to do a lot of trading along the river Thames and my hub is sitting on one of the preserved Ferryman's seat built against the wall - now you know how small their bums used to be, to be able to fit into such a small space!
We ended the weekend with a bus ride down from town to Hammersmith. We took a short stroll around the area and went back shortly.
Weekend comes and goes so quickly here! Sometimes, I reallie wish time can slow down - i dont want to age so fast + i have got so many places yet to visit + so many things yet to achieve/do!
